The present invention relates generally to the field of agricultural implements, such as tillers and implements towed behind a work vehicle, such as a tractor.
A wide range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presently in use for tilling, cultivating, harvesting, seeding, and so forth. Seeding implements, for example, are towed behind tractors and open rows of soil for deposition of a seed or product in the soil. The implement may include a plurality of ground engaging tools. In certain implements, packing wheels may follow the ground engaging tools to close valleys and/or pack soil after seeds or fertilizer has been deposited into the valleys opened by the tools. In general, these wheels are spaced from the tools by a fixed distance, determined at the time of design and/or manufacturing of the implement. However, the appropriate spacing between the ground engaging tools and the packer wheels may be less than optimal for all situations. For example, when the implement is being pulled more quickly through a field, a wheel that was properly spaced when moving more slowly may be too close. On the contrary, if the wheel is spaced farther from the tool as might be appropriate for higher speeds, this distance may not be optimal for slower speeds.
Moreover, the ground engaging tools may encounter obstacles in the field, such as large clods or rocks. The obstacles may deform, damage, and/or break the tools if the implement is traveling at a high speed and/or the obstacle is large. Some implements may be configured to lift the tools upon encountering an obstacle. Unfortunately, such configurations of the implement may sacrifice accuracy and control over the depth of soil valleys in order to avoid tool damage due to obstacles.